Editor:

I don’t like being controlled.

I especially don’t like being controlled with lies.

But that is exactly what the politicians in the Ohio statehouse are trying to do to us.

They know that everyone hates gerrymandering. They know that we citizens want fair voting districts. They know that we don’t want politicians drawing districts that get themselves reelected even when we want a change, but they drew unconstitutional maps five times in a row. They made Ohio one of the 10 most gerrymandered states in the country.

Issue 1 is the change we need. It will set up a citizen-based commission to draw the districts – politicians not allowed – and mandate fair districts drawn in an open, transparent process.

The politicians who currently draw the districts HATE it and are trying to fool us with lies. They claim that Issue 1 will “require gerrymandering” (it bans it). They say a no vote will “end gerrymandering” when a no will enable it.

Please don’t let them control you with their lies.

Take control back. Read Issue 1 for yourself: https://www.citizensnotpoliticians.org/petition/.

It is the same as the amendment text you can find on the Ohio Secretary of State website but, notably, does not match the misleading summary you’ll see on your ballot.

And thank you for taking the time to be a careful, thoughtful voter. Keeping the democracy we U.S. citizens love requires that all of us stay informed and not controlled by lies.

Christie Devlin

Brookville